Quantitative data are central to the presentation of high-quality information, yet making sense of numbers
has not been considered the greatest strength of journalists and many
other professionals. Knowledge of numbers affects reporters writing about topics
as diverse as the local school district budget to the latest scientific
reports on global warming. Supplying meaningful information to the populace
can be seen as a key journalistic pursuit. To date, there have been few systematic instructional
approaches used in journalism schools to help reporters improve their understandings
of numbers. To address this problem, we have developed a two-week post-secondary
module to improve quantitative awareness, critical analysis, and evidence-based
perspectives among journalism students and journalism instructors.